The Gunpowder Plot of 1605 - History Learning Site Home » Stuart England » The Gunpowder Plot of 1605 The Gunpowder Plot of 1605 Citation: C N Trueman "The Gunpowder Plot of 1605" historylearningsite.co.uk. The History Learning Site, 17 Mar 2015. 16 Aug 2016. In November 1605, the infamous Gunpowder Plot took place in which some Catholics, most famously Guy Fawkes, plotted to blow up James I, the first of the Stuart kings of England. The story is remembered each November 5th when ‘Guys’ are burned in a celebration known as “Bonfire Night”. The story appears to be very simple. Catholics in England had expected James to be more tolerant of them. In fact, he had proved to be the opposite and had ordered all Catholic priests to leave England. This so angered some Catholics that they decided to kill James and put his daughter Elizabeth on the throne ensuring that she was a Catholic.

This led to a plot to kill not only the king of England, James, but also everyone sitting in the Houses of Parliament at the same time as James was there when he opened Parliament on November 5th, 1605. Guy Fawkes and his fellow conspirators, having rented out a house right by the Houses of Parliament, managed to get 36 barrels of gunpowder into a cellar of the House of Lords. The other conspirators were: John Grant and the man who is said to have organised the whole plot Robert Catesby. The most famous picture of some the conspirators The explosive expert, Guy Fawkes, had been left in the cellars to set off the fuse. He was only caught when a group of guards decided to check the cellars at the last moment. Fawkes was arrested and sent to the Tower of London where he was tortured and eventually gave away the names of the fellow conspirators. Sir William Wade, Lieutenant of the Tower, had orders to use whatever means of torture was required to get information from Fawkes. The order came from James. Of those involved, some were shot as they were chased by the law such as Percy and Catesby.

Others were captured, sent to the Tower and, after a brief trial, eventually hung, drawn and quartered, with Fawkes, in January 1606. The signature of Guy Fawkes on his confession In celebration of his survival, James ordered that the people of England should have a great bonfire in the night on November 5th. This fire was traditionally topped off with an effigy of the pope rather than Guy Fawkes. His place at the top of the fire came in later as did fireworks. The East Sussex county town of Lewes still has the pope alongside Guy Fawkes when it comes to the effigies being burned. But is there more to this plot than just a small number of angry Catholics wanting to make a statement against the king, James? Some believe that the whole plot was a government conspiracy to convince James that Catholics could not be trusted. At the very least, some curious things happened when the story is looked at in detail. What is odd? We do know that James’ chief minister, Robert Cecil, the Earl of Salisbury, hated Catholics and saw them as a constant source of trouble.

Cecil also feared that there was a chance that James would be lenient with them during his reign and this he could not tolerate. That James only expelled priests was not good enough for Cecil. He wanted to remove Catholicism from England as he saw it as a threat. We know that James was terrified of a violent death; his childhood in Scotland had been fraught with danger including being kidnapped as a boy. What better way to get James to severely persecute the Catholics in England than to get him to believe that they had tried to kill him in this very violent manner? The government had a monopoly on gunpowder in this country and it was stored in places like the Tower of London. How did the conspirators get hold of 36 barrels of gunpowder without drawing attention to themselves? Did they get help from the government? How was the gunpowder moved across London from the Tower of London to Westminster (at least two miles distant) without anyone seeing it? The River Thames would not have been used as it could have lead to the gunpowder becoming damp and useless. Thirty six barrels would have been a sizeable quantity to move without causing suspicion.

Why were men who were known to be Catholics allowed to rent out a house so near to the Houses of Parliament? How did they move 36 barrels from that house to the cellar of the Houses of Parliament without anyone noticing along with hay, straw etc? Why, for the first time in history, was there a search of Parliament’s cellars that conveniently found “John Johnson” (as Guy Fawkes called himself) before he lit the fuse? Why was the soldier who killed Catesby and Percy at Holbeech House in the Midlands, given such a large pension for life (10p a day for life) when their arrest and torture was more desirable so that the names of any other conspirators might be found out? Some historians have pointed out these issues and claimed that the plotters were pawns in the hands of Robert Cecil and that he orchestrated the whole affair in his bid to get James to ban Catholics altogether. There are, however, counter-arguments to many of the above points. Gunpowder may have been a government monopoly but just as today, there was a black market for it. The conspirators would have had the money to pay for this and it could have been smuggled in from Catholic France, for example.

The south coast was riddled with smugglers havens. Fawkes could have used his contacts with Spain to acquire it. In many senses, this would not have been a difficult problem. Moving the gunpowder from the Tower to Westminster could have been done over a number of days, barrel by barrel, journey by journey. This would have attracted less attention though it did increase the chance of being caught as more journeys were being made. One theory put forward is that it was stored at a house owned by Catesby in Lambeth and moved barrel by barrel up the Thames at night to Westminster. dangerous and risky but the conspirators were motivated men and it could have happened. The conspirators used false names so hiring out property near to the Houses of Parliament would not have been that difficult. Thomas Percy had contacts in Parliament and these were almost certainly used to get the house there and later the cellar where the gunpowder was actually put. The soldier who shot Percy and Catesby was in a firefight in which he may have been shot and killed himself. Why risk your own life against such desperate people? Was the 10p a day for life merely a generous reward for services to a grateful king?

Also, if Fawkes and company had been set-up by, why did he not say so at his execution when he could have said something? Possibly he was not in a fit enough state to say anything; also who would have believed him as he had been castigated as the evil conspirator to kill the king? It may be that the conspirators simply acted alone and then got caught. The confession of Fawkes does not mention at all any claim that he was a dupe of the government. He himself stated that he was first approached by Thomas Wintour in Europe about the plot in 1604 and that he met the others when he returned to London. The only full confession about the plot from start to finish came from Thomas Wintour. He, too, makes no mention about being set-up etc. Two issues do cloud the story, however. The first is the so-called Monteagle Letter. One of the plotters was a man called Francis Tresham. Lord Monteagle was his cousin. On the evening of October 26th, a mysterious man brought a letter to Monteagle’s home just outside of London.

The letter was a clear warning for Monteagle not to turn up at the Houses of Parliament on the 5th November. In modern English the letter stated that Parliament would receive a terrible blow on that day and that those killed would not see who had done it to them. The letter was addressed to Monteagle but it was read out aloud by his servant. Why? Was Monteagle looking for a witness that he had received this letter? Monteagle went straight to Robert Cecil and informed him of what had happened. Cecil ordered a search of the cellars of Parliament on the night of November 4th. Those guards found Guy Fawkes. A second search the next day, ordered by James I, also found the explosives and Guy who was found to be in possession of matches. he was arrested. The other issue also involves Tresham. Here was an important member of the gang who could know a great deal about other conspirators who were not actually yet caught. Once arrested, he was locked in the Tower of London – England’s most feared and secure prison. Tresham was locked in a cell by himself. He died on December 23rd 1605, and he was found to have been poisoned.

How did he get the poison? Did he knowingly take it? Or did someone want to silence him before he talked? It is possible that Tresham had the poison on him and took it rather than suffer the butchery of being hung, drawn and quartered. If someone else had access to him, and fed him poisoned food or whatever, he would have been a very important person as only the most important would have had access to this valuable prisoner. We may never know the answers to the questions. There are some who support the government conspiracy line – others think it may simply have been an ambitious plan by a small number of Catholics that went very badly wrong for them all. BBC - History - British History in depth: The Enduring Memory of the Gunpowder Plot The Enduring Memory of the Gunpowder Plot By Alan Haynes Last updated 2011-02-17 Every year on 5 November a failed conspiracy against the monarchy is remembered with fireworks and bonfires, even though the event took place 400 years ago. Why did the Gunpowder Plot take such a hold on the national memory?

On this page Print this page Introduction To begin to understand the reasons why the Gunpowder Plot has reverberated so strongly down the years, it is necessary to look at the family history of an old and rich Catholic family, the Catesbys. It was the dynamic conspirator Robert Catesby who, along with Thomas Winter and John Wright, first devised the plot. The intention of this vicious trio was to target King James, his wife Queen Anne, their son and heir Prince Henry, the privy councillors, nobility, clergy, judges and principal gentlemen of England - and blast them all to kingdom come during the ceremony of the State Opening of Parliament. The intention of this vicious trio was to target King James... The planned huge explosion would also have killed and maimed the many Londoners who would have gathered to view the event. Catesby, the mastermind and charismatic leader of the tight knit band of plotters, paid no attention to the mayhem his actions would have caused in the country at large, having been corrupted by hatred of Protestant rulers during the long reign of Queen Elizabeth I (who died in 1603).

Some of the wealth of the Catesbys had been squeezed from them by the fitful administration of anti-Catholic laws in Elizabethan England. Four years after serving the Queen as sheriff of Warwickshire, where he had inherited large land holdings, Sir William Catesby (father of Robert), and Sir Thomas Tresham, his brother-in-law, had stood trial for contempt in the Star Chamber. The 'contempt' was their refusal to state on oath whether or not a Jesuit priest, Edmund Campion, had been illegally received in their homes. They were prominent figures in their communities, and so were treated to the exemplary punishment of a heavy fine for their refusal. Between 1581 and 1605 Tresham was forced to pay £8,000 in penalties' about £4 million in today's values. Such fines may have been hurtful, but the men who paid them did not seek a violent end to the reign of Elizabeth I. They remained loyal to her, even though some of the younger generation fretted and frothed with rage.

Top Broken hopes Detail from a print showing the execution of the gunpowder conspirators © The last physical threat to the elderly queen had occurred in 1601, due to a revolt led by her former favourite, the Protestant Earl of Essex. He was helped by the wayward Robert Catesby, who was wounded in the fighting, then captured, imprisoned and fined 4,000 marks (nearly £2,700). This was added to his other debts, which by 1598, when his father died, had reached a horrendous £12,000. Robert only got out of prison with the help of his uncle, Thomas Throckmorton. No surprise, then, that in 1602 Catesby had to sell his beloved estate, Chasleton in Oxfordshire, to a wool merchant and lawyer, Walter Jones. The new owner paid Catesby £4,000, but he did nothing to evict him, as Catesby showed a deep reluctance to move on to lodge with his widowed mother at Ashby St Ledgers, just north of Daventry. In essence what he was proposing was a massacre of the ruling class.

Catholics in England had hoped for some relief from their oppression, when James l of England and VI of Scotland acceeded to the throne, after the death of Elizabeth; his mother had, after all, been the devout Catholic Mary, Queen of Scots, executed in England in 1587 for her part in the Babington Plot. King James had previously given indications of wanting to integrate Catholics into English public life; for example, he made Lord Henry Howard the Earl of Northampton, early in 1609. Even so, by then Robert Catesby had lost all patience with the new dynasty, which timidly allowed the weight of Protestant opinion in Parliament to gain the upper hand. Unlike Edward Bushell, his second cousin and former friend of the executed Earl of Essex, who offered his services to the new monarch, Robert Catesby became instead an irreconcilable anti-Protestant. Jesuits joined with these malcontents. They actively sought a Spanish invasion, and the gentleman pensioner Thomas Percy actually wanted to murder King James with his own hands, being sometimes close enough to attempt it.

Given that James's wife, Queen Anne, had strong Catholic tendencies, the sense of outrage and betrayal felt by Catesby and his associates in considering her husband dissolved into despair when they reviewed the spiritual and political future. Their deprivation under Elizabeth seemed to have become the inherited benchmark of Jacobean policy, and so the eloquent, handsome Catesby went far beyond the notion of assassinating the king. In essence he proposed a massacre of the ruling class, by blowing up the Houses of Parliament. It was known that the child princess, Elizabeth, would not be there, but at her country home at Combe with Lord Harington. The conspirators believed they could seize her, and boldly imagined they could then use her to swing the country to them. Top Vicious reaction Detail from a print showing the execution of the gunpowder conspirators © Never mind that most of the nation would feel nothing but grief, horror and rage at the outcome of the proposed explosion, and that this torrent of distress might unleash a civil war of unequalled violence. This cluster of plotters, all known to each other through family or friendship, scarcely seemed to consider the shock waves that were likely to swamp the country if their plot succeeded.

Not every Catholic found Catesby irresistible. One family who were asked for peripheral help by the Jesuit Father John Gerard declined to cooperate. Gerard's request was for private lodgings in the house of a Mr and Mrs Fortescue, so that some persons who did not wish to be seen in his company could meet him unobserved. The Fortescues lived in the Blackfriars Gatehouse in Puddle Dock Hill on the Thames, and when Gerard ventured the names of those who would visit, Mrs Fortescue alone (her husband was then absent) felt able to reject the request, since she regarded Catesby as a dangerous, unfettered playboy. With two beautiful daughters living in the house, perhaps her caution was merited. After the collapse of the plot, the government, led by Robert Cecil, Earl of Salisbury, set about grubbing out for scrutiny the name of anyone linked in any way to the conspiracy. The captured Guy Fawkes resisted attempts to force the information out of him, and there was a fierce campaign to blame the Jesuits for it.

Father John Gerard went back in disguise to visit the Fortescues, presumably hoping they could cover for him in some way, and the master of the house, now returned, asked grimly 'Have you no one to ruin but me and my family?' Have you no one to ruin but me and my family? One of the government's agents, as information was being sought, was the playwright and poet Ben Jonson - who only weeks before had dined in public with the traitors. He, like Walter Jones, was desperately anxious to dissipate any hint of powder that lingered inadvertently about him. The great figure of the court who was unluckily the most tainted by association with the plotters, was the most noble Henry Percy, ninth Earl of Northumberland. It was his secretary who had leased to the plotters the vault in Westminster where they stored their gunpowder. Luckily for him, when the Earl was eventually put on trial in the Star Chamber, the evidence against him did not lead to his execution, but to many years of imprisonment in the Tower of London.

The counties of the Midlands, through which many of the plotters had fled when the plot was discovered, were in an uproar as the culprits were hunted down, and dozens of suspects were arrested. Within a very few days Catesby and his cluster of plotters were besieged at Holbeach House, in Staffordshire, and were killed fighting. This left only a handful of men for trial and execution, along with the pitifully reduced Fawkes. Top Lasting suspicion Although the Gunpowder Plot was a calamity averted, its after-effects were a real calamity for English Catholics, however loyal they might have been to the Crown. The Protestant nation's imagination reeled at the thought of the horror that had been averted, and for several hundred years Catholic families were corralled by legislation as well as by popular hatred. Many publications reviled them, and many sermons preached against 'Romish practices'. King James and his family were for a time immensely popular, and when the youthful Prince Henry died suddenly in 1612 there was a huge outpouring of grief, and endless (rather overstated) testimony to his brilliance.

The innocent suffered long after the discovery of the grotesque plot in which they had played no part. In these ways, and as the result of the actions of a mere handful of men, the taint of guilt was transmitted to succeeding generations. The innocent suffered long after the discovery of the grotesque plot in which they had played no part, and the notion of religious tolerance was alien to the country for generations. Top Repression The date 5 November became earmarked as a day to celebrate national salvation and the joyful repudiation of terrorism. Anti-Catholic sentiment among most people remained strong throughout the 17th century, and 'No Popery!' was a rallying cry even as late as the 1780 Gordon Riots - when the mob controlled the city for four days. Until 1797 no Catholic male could vote in local elections, and until 1829 they could not vote in elections to Parliament - and this level of repression over such a long time inevitably led to an impoverishment of the whole kingdom. The gunpowder that did not explode, despite the earnest tending of Guy Fawkes, nevertheless managed to cause a severe, albeit invisible, national wound.

Guy Fawkes and Bonfire Night In 1605, thirteen young men planned to blow up the Houses of Parliament. Among them was Guy Fawkes, Britain's most notorious traitor. After Queen Elizabeth I died in 1603, English Catholics who had been persecuted under her rule had hoped that her successor, James I, would be more tolerant of their religion. James I had, after all, had a Catholic mother. Unfortunately, James did not turn out to be more tolerant than Elizabeth and a number of young men, 13 to be exact, decided that violent action was the answer. A small group took shape, under the leadership of Robert Catesby. Catesby felt that violent action was warranted. Indeed, the thing to do was to blow up the Houses of Parliament. In doing so, they would kill the King, maybe even the Prince of Wales, and the Members of Parliament who were making life difficult for the Catholics. Today these conspirators would be known as extremists, or terrorists. To carry out their plan, the conspirators got hold of 36 barrels of gunpowder - and stored them in a cellar, just under the House of Lords.

But as the group worked on the plot , it became clear that innocent people would be hurt or killed in the attack, including some people who even fought for more rights for Catholics. Some of the plotters started having second thoughts. One of the group members even sent an anonymous letter warning his friend, Lord Monteagle, to stay away from the Parliament on November 5th. Was the letter real? The warning letter reached the King, and the King's forces made plans to stop the conspirators. Guy Fawkes , who was in the cellar of the parliament with the 36 barrels of gunpowder when the authorities stormed it in the early hours of November 5th, was caught, tortured and executed. It's unclear if the conspirators would ever have been able to pull off their plan to blow up the Parliament even if they had not been betrayed. Some have suggested that the gunpowder itself was so old as to be useless. Since Guy Fawkes and the other conspirators got caught before trying to ignite the powder, we'll never know for certain. Even for the period which was notoriously unstable, the Gunpowder Plot struck a very profound chord for the people of England.

In fact, even today, the reigning monarch only enters the Parliament once a year, on what is called "the State Opening of Parliament". Prior to the Opening, and according to custom, the Yeomen of the Guard search the cellars of the Palace of Westminster. Nowadays, the Queen and Parliament still observe this tradition . On the very night that the Gunpowder Plot was foiled, on November 5th, 1605, bonfires were set alight to celebrate the safety of the King. Since then, November 5th has become known as Bonfire Night . The event is commemorated every year with fireworks and burning effigies of Guy Fawkes on a bonfire. Some of the English have been known to wonder, in a tongue in cheek kind of way, whether they are celebrating Fawkes' execution or honoring his attempt to do away with the government. The Gunpowder Plot part 1: Stories from Parliament - UK Parliament The Gunpowder Plot part 1: Stories from Parliament Filters Video transcript Description This Stories from Parliament episode tells the first part of the infamous Gunpowder Plot in which a group of men plotted to kill James I and destroy Parliament in 1605.

Stories from Parliament is a series of video dramas each telling a story from Parliaments' past. Each episode is accompanied by specially commissioned illustrations and images from the Parliamentary art and archive collections that bring each story to life. All images subject to copyright, click here for more information. Time required: 8 mins (with lesson plans: time variable) Learning outcomes chronological understanding - knowledge and understanding of events, people and changes in the past historical events linked to Parliament and the development of democracy in the United Kingdom Using the assembly plan, students will learn: to consider the events of the Gunpowder Plot and what it teaches about prejudice and discrimination Using the 7-14 years lesson plan, students will learn: the key facts of the story to develop filmic approaches to storytelling to consider characters and different points of view Practical information These resources can be used separately or together in three easy steps: 1) Show the episode as part of a school or class assembly 2) Use the fact files to discover more of the key information around the story 3) Choose a lesson plan activity to complete in class Frequently Asked Questions: The Gunpowder Plot - UK Parliament Frequently Asked Questions Four staff networks for people to discuss and consider issues.

Working in Parliament Find and register for Parliament's free events and training sessions Have your say See some of the sights you’ll encounter on a tour of Parliament Planning an event? Frequently Asked Questions: The Gunpowder Plot Interesting facts and information relating to the Gunpowder Plot of 1605. Where can I find further information about the Gunpowder Plot? What exactly was the Gunpowder Plot? The Gunpowder Plot is the name given to the conspiracy to blow up the Houses of Parliament on 5 November 1605, which was discovered the night before. The origins of the plot remain unclear and it is doubtful that the truth will ever be known. Generations of historians accepted it was an attempt to re-establish the Catholic religion. Others, in more recent times, have suspected that the plot was the work of a group of agents-provocateurs, anxious to discredit the Jesuits and reinforce the ascendancy of the Protestant religion. Who was involved in the Plot?

The plot centred around five conspirators, Robert Catesby , Thomas Winter , Thomas Percy , John Wright and Guy (or Guido) Fawkes , later joined by Robert Keyes and seven other known accomplices, who determined to blow up of the House of Lords in 1605. The detonation was to take place on State Opening day, when the King, Lords and Commons would all be present in the Lords Chamber. There is no doubt that Fawkes, though remembered wrongly as the principal conspirator, was in fact a minor cog in the wheel. Born in 1570 at York, he was brought up as a Protestant. In 1593, he enlisted as a mercenary in the Spanish Army in the Netherlands - he became a Catholic shortly before that date. He was at the capture of Calais in 1595, where he apparently distinguished himself greatly. He may have been chosen for his skills when it was planned to tunnel under the House, and it was an advantage that, having been abroad for some time, he was not known in London. Find out more in Living Heritage: People behind the Gunpowder plot How was the Plot discovered?

The plot was discovered, in the official version, through an anonymous letter to Lord Monteagle, a Catholic, warning him not to attend the State Opening. Whether the letter was genuine or a forgery is uncertain. In any event, on the 4 November an initial search was made of Parliament (initially, it is said by Monteagle and the Lord Chamberlain, Suffolk). The cellar was thoroughly searched at midnight and Fawkes found with the gunpowder. He was then arrested. Find out more in Living Heritage: The Gunpowder plot and its discovery What happened to Guy Fawkes and the other conspirators? All the co-conspirators (except for Thomas Winter's brother, Robert) were killed or arrested by 12 November and taken to the Tower of London. They were probably subjected to extensive torture which formed part of the punishment for treason at the time. Fawkes and the conspirators who remained alive, were tried for high treason in Westminster Hall on 27 January 1606 and all were convicted and sentenced to death. The executions took place on 30 and 31 January (Fawkes was executed on 31) and included hanging, drawing and quartering.

The heads and other portions of the conspirator's bodies were set up at different points around Westminster and London. Find out more in Living Heritage: Aftermath of the Gunpowder Plot How is the Gunpowder Plot remembered? The 5 November is variously called 'Firework Night', 'Bonfire Night' or 'Guy Fawkes Day'. An Act of Parliament (3 James I, cap 1) was passed to appoint 5 November in each year as a day of thanksgiving for 'the joyful day of deliverance'. The Act remained in force until 1859. It is still the custom for Britain on, or around, 5 November to let off fireworks and children to make guys - effigies supposedly of Fawkes. Institutions and towns may hold firework displays and bonfire parties, and the same is done, on a smaller scale in back gardens throughout the country. The year 2005 marked the 400 anniversary of the plot with an exhibition The Gunpowder Plot: Parliament and Treason held in Westminster Hall. Are the Houses of Parliament still searched before State Opening?

The Houses of Parliament are still searched by the Yeomen of the Guard just before the State Opening (normally held in November since 1928) to ensure no latter-day Fawkes is concealed in the cellars, though this is retained as a picturesque custom rather than a serious anti-terrorist precaution (for which, of course, there are proper means). 9 places associated with Guy Fawkes and the gunpowder plot | History Extra Directory 9 places associated with Guy Fawkes and the gunpowder plot In 1605 a small group of disaffected Catholics came within a whisker of blowing the king and parliament to smithereens. We visit nine places associated with this bloody scheme. This article was first published in the November 2009 issue of BBC History Magazine Tuesday 5th November 2013 BBC History Magazine - 5 issues for £5 Alnwick Castle, where Thomas Percy was constable before joining Robert Catesby. (© Dreamstime) Lord Monteagle received a startling letter on the evening of 26 October 1605. An anonymous correspondent advised the English nobleman against attending the upcoming session of parliament, due to begin a few days later.

The letter warned: “They shall receive a terrible blow this parliament and yet they shall not see who hurts them.” It was a chilling message. Monteagle raced from his home in Hoxton to Whitehall where he passed the letter to Robert Cecil, the secretary of state and second most powerful man in the land. Cecil’s investigations led to a cellar under the Palace of Westminster and the discovery of the most audacious terrorist attack ever attempted on British soil. It was a plot that had its origins back in the reign of Elizabeth I. Henry VIII and Edward VI laid the foundations of the English Reformation, but Elizabeth took it a stage further, ensuring the country was firmly Protestant. As the 16th century drew to a close, the country’s remaining Catholics faced increasing levels of persecution. Fierce regulations included the death penalty for those found to be sheltering priests. It was a grim time to be a Catholic in England. Hopes rested on the mortality of Elizabeth and the likely choice for the Virgin Queen’s successor, James VI of Scotland. Though himself a Protestant, James was the son of Catholic martyr Mary Queen of Scots and his own wife was a Catholic as well.

Furthermore, prior to his succession to the English throne he had hinted that his reign would bring greater toleration for the country’s Catholic minority. When he came to replace Elizabeth in 1603 James did indeed limit the restrictions on Catholicism in England. However within a year he had reversed this policy after opposition from English Protestants. Furious at being let down, a small group of young Catholics began plotting a violent act of revenge. The head of this band was Robert Catesby, a rebellious member of the minor gentry. In May 1604 they gathered in London and started to hatch out their plan. The idea they settled upon was to ignite a huge cache of gunpowder underneath Westminster on the opening session of parliament. The resulting explosion would then wipe out almost the entire English establishment: the royal family, the MPs, the lords and the leading bishops. Guy Fawkes, a Catholic volunteer who had been fighting in the Low Countries, was the man selected to prepare the gunpowder and light the fuse. The plotters rented a cellar below the Palace of Westminster and filled it with gunpowder, ready for the state opening of parliament on 5 November 1605.

All seemed to be going to plan but then, with just over a week to go, Lord Monteagle received a tip-off. Armed with this information, Robert Cecil liaised with King James who apparently suggested that the cellars under Westminster be searched. On the night of 4–5 November Fawkes was apprehended there red-handed alongside 36 barrels of gunpowder. Despite Fawkes’s arrest, Catesby opted to incite an armed insurrection in the Midlands but found few willing to support his cause. The rebel leader was gunned down alongside a few of his remaining supporters on 8 November. Those who weren’t killed were despatched to the Tower of London where they, alongside Fawkes, were brutally executed in January 1606. The Gunpowder Plot had failed utterly, to the delight of the Protestant English. On 5 November bonfires were lit in celebration, a practice that continues to this day. For the Catholic minority the attempt at mass murder had disastrous consequences.

“The long-term contribution of the gunpowder plot was to provide another reason for Protestants to dislike and be scared of Catholics,” explains James Sharpe, author of Remember, Remember the Fifth of November (Profile, 2005). “Protestant propaganda had for a long time been saying ‘the Catholics are out to get us’ and the Gunpowder Plot just demonstrated that.” King James responded to the attempt on his life relatively calmly, without the bloody reprisals that might have been expected. Nevertheless the Gunpowder Plot did lead to a worsening of Catholic/Protestant relations, which were not normalised until the 19th century. The celebrations of 5 November became not just a commemoration of lives preserved but also an opportunity to vent anti-Catholic feelings. As much as anything else, it was England’s deliverance from Catholics that the revellers chose to remember. 9 places associated with the gunpowder plot 1) Baddesley Clinton, Warwickshire Where priests were concealed England’s Catholics were under a great deal of pressure towards the end of Elizabeth I’s reign. A raft of measures, including crippling fines for non-attendance at Protestant services, made life very difficult indeed.

Some accepted defeat and joined the Anglican fold but others resolved to continue observing what they believed to be the true faith. Catholic priests who had trained on the continent were smuggled into England where they could facilitate worship. They were sheltered in Catholic safehouses, which were often equipped with priest’s holes that could be used as hiding places when inspectors arrived. The punishment for the priests and those who harboured them could be death so it was vital that secrecy was maintained. Built in the 15th century, Baddesley Clinton became an important place of refuge for Catholics. Though it belonged to the Ferrers family, it was rented by the Vaux sisters who were committed to shielding priests. Members of the Jesuit order (a controversial Catholic missionary group) are believed to have met at Baddesley Clinton in 1592 and escaped detection by hiding in a tunnel when government officers turned up. The English Jesuit leader Henry Garnett was among their number. Baddesley Clinton remained with the Ferrers until the late 20th century when it was taken over by the National Trust. Three priest’s holes survive from its days as a Catholic refuge.

Tel: 01564 783294 2) Banqueting House, London Where a promising new king lived Disillusioned by Elizabeth I, England’s Catholics expected better things under her successor, James VI of Scotland. Born in 1566 James had acceded to the Scottish throne when barely a year old and managed to hang on to his crown, despite several intrigues against him. As Henry VII’s great-great grandson James was the leading contender to replace Elizabeth I when the queen died childless in 1603. James VI did indeed become James I of England and on the surface this was a promising development for Catholics. James was the son of a Catholic martyr (Mary Queen of Scots), while his wife (Anne of Denmark) was a Catholic as well. During his time in Scotland James had been relatively accepting of Catholics and made noises to the effect that this lenience would follow him south. “Great hope [there] is of toleration,” wrote Henry Garnett when James took the throne. After arriving in London, James was installed in the Palace of Whitehall, then the principal residence of English monarchs.

Later in his reign James had Inigo Jones design him a new palace but this burnt down in 1698 leaving only the magnificent Banqueting House. Today in the care of Historic Royal Palaces, the building testifies to Jones’s architectural genius and also contains a marvellous ceiling by the artist Peter Paul Rubens. Tel: 0844 482 7777 3) Alnwick Castle, Northumberland Where a plotter was employed James I’s reign had begun well for Catholics. One of his earliest acts had been to halt the collection of fines from those who refused to attend the established church. That though was as far as the new king was prepared to go. James had no intention of granting Catholics religious freedom and when prompted by Protestant critics, he relented and restored the financial penalties. Once again Catholic liberation seemed a very distant dream. To compound matters James began negotiating a peace deal with Catholic Spain, putting pay to the possibility of a military overthrow of Protestant rule. Their hopes dashed, some of England’s most committed Catholics turned their thoughts to violence.

In May 1604, the Warwickshire gentleman Robert Catesby met with four friends in London where they began to develop a murderous scheme to be rid of James and his ministers. One of Catesby’s co-conspirators was Thomas Percy, a relative of the Ninth Earl of Northumberland, who was then in the earl’s employ as constable of Alnwick Castle. Percy had good reason to be angry with King James. It was he who had met with James prior to Elizabeth’s death and received assurances of better treatment for Catholics. Already a wild character, who had once been jailed for killing a man, Percy was keen to mete out the ultimate punishment to the heretical king. The Gunpowder Plot took Thomas away from Northumberland but the Percy family remained at the castle and still does so today. This year they celebrate 700 years at Alnwick, which is currently the second largest inhabited castle in England. It was built in stages since the 14th century and is undoubtedly one of the finest fortresses in the land.

Tel: 01665 511100 4) Guy Fawkes Inn, York Where a failed regicide may have been born This charming old inn is the reputed birthplace of a man who is still burned on bonfires 400 years after his death. Guy Fawkes arrived in the world in 1570 and was baptised at St Michael le Belfrey church in York. He was born into Protestantism but his mother’s second marriage was to a Catholic and it is likely that this event prompted her son’s conversion as well. The young Fawkes became a soldier. Like many other Catholics seeking military experience he went to fight in the Low Countries for Spain against Dutch Protestants. There he gained valuable experience in munitions and it is partly because of these skills that he was recruited by the plotters. Having been out of the country for several years Fawkes was also relatively unknown in London, meaning he could move freely in the city without arousing too much suspicion. Thomas Percy rented a small property close to the Houses of Parliament in May 1604. Here Fawkes was installed under the assumed name of John Johnson to oversee the project.

The plotters’ initial idea was to dig a mine from their property’s cellar underneath the Palace of Westminster. This, however, proved to be laborious work and so the conspirators were delighted when they discovered that a vault right underneath the Lords Chamber was available to rent. Percy managed to lease the vault. It was here that the gunpowder would be stored in advance of the opening of parliament. Tel: 01904 623716 5) The Palace of Westminster, London Where a massacre was averted The initial group of conspirators numbered five but by October 1605 it had grown to 13. Additional members provided funds and connections. There was however a risk that the wider the plot grew, the more likely it was to be found out. The last of the band to be recruited was Francis Tresham, a wealthy Catholic gentleman whose riches were sought after by Catesby. Tresham though was far from convinced by the plan and tried to persuade the plotters to abandon their enterprise. Many also believe that he sent the anonymous letter to his brother-in-law, Lord Monteagle, on 26 October warning him that something was afoot.

Monteagle took the note to Robert Cecil, the secretary of state. Cecil oversaw a powerful intelligence network and it is possible that he knew of the plot already. In fact theories persist that he himself had penned the letter in order to test Monteagle’s loyalty. In any case the information passing into Cecil’s hands was a worrying development indeed for the conspirators. One of the plotters, Thomas Winter, got wind of the Monteagle letter and told Catesby the news but the ringleader refused to be dissuaded and decided to continue with the plan, despite the increased risks. Cecil took the message to King James but nothing was done with the information initially, perhaps so that the conspirators could be allowed to incriminate themselves further. Then on 4 November the Earl of Suffolk, who was responsible for the arrangements for the new parliamentary session, made an inspection of the vaults where they found Fawkes together with a great deal of firewood that was covering the gunpowder. Lord Monteagle was also in the search party and was surprised to find that the vault was rented by Thomas Percy, who he knew to be a Catholic. King James ordered a second search at midnight.

This time Fawkes was arrested and the firewood was removed to uncover the gunpowder barrels. The Houses of Parliament were saved. In 1834 a great fire destroyed most of the buildings, except for Westminster Hall. Charles Barry redesigned the Palace of Westminster in the following decades and it is now open to visitors either through arrangement or by paid admission during the summer months. 6) Warwick Castle, Warwickshire Where Catesby gathered horses during his desperate flight News of Fawkes’s arrest spread quickly, causing the flight of Catesby and the other plotters away from London. Had their scheme gone as planned, the conspirators hoped to ignite a Catholic uprising in the Midlands, with King James’s nine-year-old daughter Elizabeth as a potential new queen. Even though Fawkes was in custody, Catesby resolved to go ahead with his planned insurrection. On the night of 5 November Catesby stopped off at Warwick Castle to steal horses and then spent the next couple of days with a dwindling group of followers, seeking support. Yet the Catholic hierarchy showed little interest in the revolt.

With their dreams in tatters, Catesby’s men arrived at Holbeche House in Staffordshire on 7 November where they resolved to make their final stand. This last hurrah began badly when some excess gunpowder exploded while it was being dried out near a fire, injuring several of the group. Then on the morning of 8 November, 200 men led by the Sheriff of Worcestershire arrived at Holbeche and surrounded the house. Catesby and a few others charged outside to meet them and were shot down. It is said that the same bullet that killed Thomas Percy also went through the body of Catesby. As the leader of the plot was dying he reportedly staggered to the house’s chapel and clutched an image of the Virgin Mary. When Catesby visited Warwick Castle, the medieval fortress was in a state of some disrepair. Over the subsequent centuries it underwent several phases of restoration including much recent work. In the last few years the castle has repositioned itself as a major heritage attraction boasting a ghoulish dungeon and a princess tower.

Tel: 0871 265 2000 7) Hagley Hall, Worcestershire Where a plotter was tracked down Not all of the gunpowder conspirators met their end with Catesby. One leading plotter, Thomas Winter, was injured in the melee and taken to London as a captive for questioning. His brother Robert ran from Holbeche on the night of 7 November and then spent two months in hiding around Worcestershire before he was apprehended at Hagley. He too was hauled off to London where he awaited his fate. Hagley has been in the hands of the Lyttelton family since the mid-16th century. The current building was largely constructed in the Georgian era under the auspices of George Lyttelton, a one-time chancellor of the exchequer. It is a splendid Palladian mansion, elegantly furnished and complemented by landscaped gardens.

Tel: 01562 882408 8) Coughton Court, Warwickshire Where Henry Garnett heard of the failure Coughton Court is a stately Tudor house currently owned by the National Trust but still inhabited by the Throckmorton family who have resided here since 1409. The Throckmortons are said to be the oldest Catholic family in England and unusually they have managed to keep hold of many of their religious treasures, some of which are now on display. In 1605 the court was being rented by Sir Everard Digby, one of the gunpowder plotters. On 6 November he was on the move with Catesby when word got to the house of Fawkes’s arrest. Among those assembled there were Digby’s wife and Henry Garnett, England’s leading Jesuit. Garnett had known of the plot and had advised against it but all the same he found himself implicated and a wanted man. Garnett left Coughton in late November, ending up in Hindlip Hall near Worcester.

There he was captured on 27 January 1606, as part of a round-up of Jesuits, and taken to the Tower of London. Tel: 01789 762435 9) The Tower of London, London Where Fawkes spent his final days It was William the Conqueror who started work on London’s famous tower in the late 11th century. Over its history it has held numerous celebrity prisoners such as Walter Ralegh, Thomas More and the Kray twins. One of the most notorious inmates was Guy Fawkes who arrived here shortly after he had been caught with the barrels of gunpowder. Initially Fawkes refused to betray his fellow conspirators but after a few days he relented and provided his interrogators with the information they wanted. James I had personally authorised the use of “the gentler tortures” and an examination of Fawkes’s signature on his first and second confessions suggests he had been badly shaken by the experience. Other plotters who were subsequently rounded-up also found themselves in the Tower. Here they languished awaiting trial.

Francis Tresham, who some believe sent the Monteagle letter, sickened and died in December before he could take the stand. Eight others, including Fawkes, went on trial on 27 January 1606, charged with high treason. Held in Westminster Hall, the trial was a sensational event for which spectators had to pay good money to attend. All of the defendants except for Everard Digby pleaded innocent but there was very little chance any would be let off. Guilty verdicts were announced for the eight men and the executions were carried out on 30 and 31 January at St Paul’s Churchyard and Old Palace Yard, Westminster. As befitted traitors, Fawkes and his colleagues were hung, drawn and quartered. Henry Garnett was captured too late for the main trial. He was nonetheless subjected to the same procedure and received a similar fate on 3 May 1606. The remains of plotters were attached to spikes on London Bridge as a stark warning to future conspirators. Tel: 0844 482 7777 Words by Rob Attar. Historical advisor: Professor James Sharpe, University of York.

The Gunpowder Plot | Historic Mysteries Home » History » The Gunpowder Plot The Gunpowder Plot Les December 9, 2015 History Remember, remember the 5th of November The Gunpowder, treason and plot. I see no reason, why gunpowder treason Should ever be forgot. Guy Fawkes, guy, t’was his intent To blow up king and parliament. Three score barrels were laid below To prove old England’s overthrow. By God’s mercy he was catch’d With a darkened lantern and burning match. So, holler boys, holler boys, Let the bells ring. Holler boys, holler boys, God save the king. And what shall we do with him? Burn him! This is a song that children all over the UK tend to sing on a single night of the year in celebration of a key event in English history. A contemporary engraving of eight of the thirteen conspirators. The State opening of Parliament is a highly significant occasion in the English calender year. In 1605, under the reign of King James I (James VI of Scotland), it took place on 5th November.

This assassination attempt had several conspirators involved but the leader was Robert Catesby. The Protestant King James I was the specific target when the plot to blow up Parliament was planned. Together with his loyal band of Catholics, Catesby wanted to kickstart a Protestant revolt across all of the United Kingdom and bring sweeping changes against Catholicism. The most crucial and pivotal of which would be installing the King’s 9 year old Catholic daughter Elizabeth on the throne. Catesby realised that he would not be able to achieve anything without help of all shapes and sizes. A dozen fellow Catholics that shared his own disillusionment regarding the conduct and policies of the King and his overall treatment of Catholics. The entire team was recruited in a matter of weeks and spent several months or more developing a plan. Ever since Henry VIII removed England from the influence of Catholic Rome in 1540, English Catholicism had been suffering at the hands of the growing Protestant movement within the English church. This division caused tension and spawned mistrust from both sides and it was during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I that a new statute was put into action.

Named the Elizabethan Religious Settlement, it was required for anyone taking official office within the church to declare allegiance to the reigning monarch as the Head of the Church and State. Those that did not follow this decree would be fined heavily and repeat offenders would either be imprisoned or even executed. As a result, Catholicism became marginalised and all but illegal to practice. Priests did keep the religion alive and in secret, despite the threats of torture or execution. -20% Buy this item Elizabeth never married or had a family, which meant that there was no heir to the throne. Robert Cecil, the Secretary of State, held secret talks with James VI of Scotland about succeeding Elizabeth to the throne. On 24th March 1603, he did. The Catholics’ hopes of installing Philip II of Spain’s daughter, Infanta Isabella, as their new Queen were dashed when James was pronounced King of England by Cecil. James did have a family and was proclaimed to be the ‘natural order of things’ and was destined to provide a healthy future for the English monarchy. Papists of the time, along with Jesuit priests all offered their support for the new King for differing reasons.

James’ was more accommodating towards Catholics than his predecessor was and might have even be tolerant of them. Instead of living under the threat of execution, practising Catholics were promised exile if convicted for their crimes. For the likes of Catesby however, leaving the shores of England forever was not an option. The Gunpowder Plot was not the only action prepared to be taken against James. Members of the Clergy would get together and try to counter James’ apparent lack of tolerance towards Catholics. Two of them, William Clark and William Watson, engineered an idea they called the Bye Plot. After capturing James, they would have imprisoned him in the Tower of London until he promised to be more appreciative of Catholics. This plan failed and both were executed as a result. Another plan to assassinate James and place Elizabeth’s cousin, Arabella Stuart, on the throne was also foiled due to a lack of funding from King Henry III of France. Only one of these plotters of the so-called Main Plot was sent to the gallows. The three others, including a certain Walter Raleigh, were all pardoned because James did not want his tenure to begin with excessive bloodshed.

The Gunpowder Plot likely came the closest to achieving the aim of installing a new monarch on the throne. Not only would the King himself be present at the State Opening of Parliament, but many important dignitaries of the Church of England would be in attendance too. For Catesby and his followers, this would have been the perfect opportunity to solve all of their problems in one fell swoop. The ‘once in a lifetime’ chance that was just too good to miss. The single most important factor in succeeding in their attempt was to procure a property close to the location of Parliament. This was achieved a number of months before Parliament was due to reconvene in early November 1605 owing to the potential of the Plague that had been sweeping Europe for a few years previously. From the house they had acquired, a tunnel was reputedly dug that extended beneath a cellar at Parliament. However, none of the reported dozen was said to have had any mining knowledge or experience.

Regardless of how they gained access to the cellar, 36 barrels of gunpowder were ferried inside – probably in stages so as not to arouse any suspicion and the crucial job of igniting the fuse was left in the hands of one of the team – Guy Fawkes. Fawkes was the logical choice for this vital role as he had more than a decade’s worth of military experience and was familiar with gunpowder. The discovery of the Gunpowder Plot and the arrest of Guy Fawkes. As history would turn out, this was the most risky of all the roles in the entire plot. About a week before Parliament was due to recommence, a letter arrived at the home of Lord Monteagle, a cousin of one of the conspirators. The contents of the letter were recited by one of Monteagle’s servants and warned his Lordship not to attend the State Opening of Parliament. When Monteagle discovered this, he instantly took Robert Cecil into his confidence and a discreet search of Parliament was ordered to be conducted on 4th November.

Fawkes was found in the cellar in possession of matches, but the gunpowder itself was only discovered later when James I, extremely concerned over his welfare, ordered an When Fawkes was arrested and questioned, he initially denied any knowledge of a conspiracy and refused to say much else at all. Sir William Wade, Lieutenant of the Tower of London, where Fawkes had been detained, used every means at his disposal in order to get more details about the plot. Fawkes resisted as long as he could but eventually was forced to surrender the names of the others involved. In rather shaking handwriting, he wrote down the names of all those involved on parchment. John Wright Sir Everard Digby and the mastermind of the plot itself, Robert Catesby Many of those named that were found were taken into custody and tried. All were found guilty and sentenced to be hung, drawn and quartered, including Guy Fawkes. Not all of them were subjected to this horrible fate though. Catesby and Thomas Percy were both shot and killed while on the run from the law. The centuries old tradition of Bonfire Night began on the very day of the plot itself.

Delighted to have escaped with his life, James had his footmen burn a huge bonfire and insisted that an effigy of Guy Fawkes be displayed prominently on the top of it. Such an act also served as a reminder to any other potential plotters of what might happen to them if they considered trying something similar in the future. Some questions from this infamous time in UK history do still linger and have led some to conclude that the whole story could be one of the first conspiracy theories in recorded history. The letter to Monteagle is one aspect that doesn’t have a satisfactory explanation. It is only assumed that Tresham was the author and nobody knows who actually delivered it. Why did Monteagle have the servant dictate the contents as opposed to simply reading it for himself? Was an independent witness required as proof that he received it? It’s a matter of public record that Robert Cecil loathed Catholics and did not trust them an inch. Perhaps he thought that James I might have been on the way to leniency in regards to Catholicism and orchestrated this whole plan just to get the King onside and sought out a dozen patsies with a promise of wealth or a position of power.

This is a story that was so memorable that 400 years later it inspired the critically acclaimed film V for Vendetta. Sources

Question: In what year did the Gunpowder Plot take place?
Answer: 1605